Sometimes I think the universe is literally out to get me.
Just last week, I was petrified over the fact that Seth Rollins had sustained a legitimate knee injury and would possibly miss WrestleMania. I'd been looking forward to a showdown between him and CM Punk on 'the grandest stage of them all" ever since Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series last year. It was a match that would've finally given Punk the WrestleMania main event he'd been obsessing over for ages and maybe legitimized Rollins' World Heavyweight Championship reign in the eyes of some fans.
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| Dream match no more |
Plus, Punk and Rollins are personally my two favorites of all time, so watching them battle over the title in night one's main event of WrestleMania 40 would've been like having my birthday come a few months early on April 6th. When Rollins announced on the go-home episode of Monday Night Raw before the Royal Rumble that he still intends to defend his title at Mania, I thought all my fears of losing out on the match were long gone.
Two Rumble matches, a controversial lawsuit, and another announced Mania song from The Weekend later, and my dream match will remain just a dream. CM Punk reportedly tore his triceps during his appearance in the 30-men Royal Rumble match. The word around the internet is that he would require 4 to 6 months after surgery to be fully healed, which means his chances of stealing the show in the main event of Mania are dead in the water.
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| CM Punk sustained a torn tricep injury during the Royal Rumble match |
This also means that WWE is probably scrambling to find a great alternative for the World Heavyweight Championship match and a solid choice for the main event of night one of Mania. With Punk now expected to be on the shelf and Rollins still recovering from his own injury, there is reason to believe WWE may just go with another championship match instead to close out the show on April 6th. History has shown us that WWE does pivot when it needs to, and this is the type of situation where one person's bad luck could turn into someone else's good fortune.
So the question remains: what should be the match to close out night one of Mania 40? A match that has two top stars going head-to-head for dominance and championship glory. A match that has been built for five years. A match that could somewhat rival night two's main event of Roman Reigns/Cody Rhodes 2.
Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Heavyweight Championship.
Now I know the main argument against this: it doesn't even involve the person who won the Royal Rumble. Absolutely true, but that hasn't stopped WWE before. In 2017, the main event of WrestleMania 33 involved no Royal Rumble winners and neither of the top champions. A year afterward, Shinsuke Nakamura was snubbed from his WrestleMania main event against AJ Styles despite winning the Royal Rumble. Just because someone wins the Royal Rumble doesn't mean they are guaranteed to be part of the final match at Mania. In fact, it's way more likely these days that the Royal Rumble winner will instead be part of "a main event" than THE main event.
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| The Man vs. The Eradicator. |
So even though Bayley punched her ticket to Mania this weekend by winning the 30-women Royal Rumble match, it's unlikely she won't be wrestling Iyo Sky at the end of either night. Both women have never wrestled in a high-profile one-on-one championship match at Mania, something Lynch and Ripley have done. And while Bayley's heel arc and relationship with the other members of Damage CTRL is intriguing, the whole thing doesn't quite match the magnitude and star power of two women who have crossed paths from time to time but have never defeated one another on live television.
This would also be sweet redemption for Ripley after losing out of the main event last year to Sami Zayne's issues with the Bloodline and a nice slingshot off of Elimination Chamber emanating from Ripley's home country of Australia.
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| The almost main event from WrestleMania 39 night one |
There are other options out there for Triple H and company to pick for sure. Gunther's inevitable Intercontinental Championship match. The Rock making another surprise return and challenging Adam Pearce for some reason. Okada versus himself. Anthony Mango versus NYC traffic. Even Ronda Rousey versus that WrestleMania 38 sign that went on fire during the Royal Rumble event a couple of years ago. All of these are notable options, but nothing compares to the Man challenging the Eradicator for the title. It's a match that would be built on Ripley's win over another fellow Four Horsewoman, Charlotte Flair, from last year's Mania. Also, Ripley's involvement with Judgement Day on Monday Night Raw has made her one of the top stars in the company, and certainly worthy enough to go on last with the Man.
In a perfect universe where it wouldn't be out to get me, Punk and Rollins would still be on. Sadly, we live in a world where stories never end, billionaires are monsters, and injuries happen even to the best of us.
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